Patent Literatures 1 to 3 disclose radiation detectors which can be manufactured easily while being able to achieve high position resolution. The radiation detector described in Patent Literature 1 comprises a scintillator including a plurality of modified regions and a plurality of photodetectors optically coupled to a surface of the scintillator. The plurality of modified regions are formed by irradiating the inside of a crystal mass to become the scintillator with laser light. The modified regions have a refractive index different from that of their surroundings and are dispersed three-dimensionally within the scintillator.
The radiation detector described in Patent Literature 2 comprises a scintillator equipped with a crystal mass adapted to generate scintillation light in response to a radiation incident thereon and a plurality of photodetectors or position-sensitive photodetector optically coupled to an end face of the crystal mass. A plurality of modified regions are formed within the crystal mass. The plurality of modified regions, each having an elongated form with a predetermined longitudinal direction, are arranged with an interval therebetween in two-dimensional directions intersecting the predetermined longitudinal direction of the crystal mass.
The radiation detector described in Patent Literature 3 comprises a scintillator equipped with a crystalline crystal mass adapted to generate scintillation light in response to a radiation incident thereon and photodetectors optically coupled to surfaces of the crystal mass. The scintillator has a plurality of scattering surfaces therewithin. Each scattering surfaces is formed by irradiating the inside of the crystal mass with laser light and comprises two or more cracks intersecting each other while respectively extending along two or more surface directions parallel to a given axis within the crystal mass.
Patent Literature 4 discloses a method for fabricating a detector or light guide using laser technology. The method described in Patent Literature 4 uses laser technology to create micro-voids within a target media, thereby optically segmenting the media.
Patent Literature 5 discloses a radiation detector which can improve position resolution. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a radiation detector 100 described in Patent Literature 5 comprises a pillar scintillator 101 having a plurality of stripe-shaped roughly polished parts 102 on a side face and photodetectors 103, 104 optically coupled to both ends of the pillar scintillator 101.